145 arrests made this year so far
Srinagar: Police on Sunday said that 553 persons were arrested in different drug-related activities in the last six years in the summer capital of Srinagar. Around one hundred fifty such arrests were this year alone.
In an official handout, police said that it has been “very successful” in controlling the drug peddling in tough times of COVID and has a “very good record of unearthing the drug network in Srinagar city”.
Furnishing the figures for last six years, the handout reads that, 81 persons were arrested in 2015 followed by 36 in 2016, 83 in 2017, 82 in 2018, 126 in 2019 and 145 in 2020 (so far).
“Acting tough on the drug peddlers and their network, Srinagar police has detained various notorious drug peddlers under Public Safety Act (PSA) to serve a deterrent message to all the persons involved in drug peddling as to ensure a drug-free Srinagar”, the handout reads.
“Srinagar police seeks the co-operation of the general public in eradicating the menace of the drug from society by assisting the police in breaking the chain of drug peddling and sharing a real-time information with them, so that the persons involved in drug peddling are booked under the law”, the handout remarks.
“Srinagar police makes an appeal to the respectable citizens, social activists, religious leaders to educate the youth about the ill-effects of drugs on a person and the society at large”, the handout reads further.
In the meantime, the City police have claimed to have recovered a huge consignment of illegal narcotic drugs from Tankipora locality.
“Acting on a specific information received from a reliable source about illegal drug peddling by some suspects, police party led by SHO Shaheed Gunj and SP City South Zone Srinagar raided the house of one suspect namely Fayaz Ahmad Nadaf son of Abdul Ahad Nadaf residence Tankipora Srinagar”, the handout reads.
During the thorough search, a huge consignment of an illegal narcotic drug, heroin-like substance weighing approximately three kilograms was recovered from the house of the suspect and arrested on the spot.
“In this regard, a case under FIR No. 159/2020 under sections 8/21 NDPS was registered at police station Shaheed Gunj and investigations taken up.”
According to the handout, “The subject was put to sustained questioning and has ‘revealed’ that he was in touch with a Punjab-based handler @Topy Singh and on his direction one suspect from north-Kashmir handed over the same consignment to him for safe custody and some quantity of which was later on to be transported to Punjab and rest to be distributed among youths in Srinagar city.”
The investigation, as per the handout, is in its initial stage and “narco-terrorism” angle is also being looked into, even as per handout, more arrests in the case are expected.
Free Press Kashmir is now on Telegram. Click here to Join.
FPK Android App for 2G. Click here to Download.
